Editorial

Abstract

The seas bring people closer together. This assertion made by Montesquieu, and elevated to a scientific law by several scholars of geopolitics, well summarizes the debut of the Center for Strategic Studies and Marine Spatial Planning (CEDEPEM), and this respective newsletter, which we present to the public. The origins of CEDEPEM date back to the pioneering initiative of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) in 2013, when a multidisciplinary laboratory for ocean studies was created. In the following year, a teaching project, entitled Marine Spatial Planning (PEM), was offered to the students of that university, with very positive results, which led to several research projects and a remarkable participation in regional, national, and international seminars. The study of PEM shaped up as a contribution to the understanding of ocean space within the scope of domestic and international relations of a coastal State.

Keywords: Sea; Geopolitics; CEDEPEM.